Editor’s note: This campaign statement was provided by Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen. The Pelham Examiner publishes campaign statements in the form received as a service to the community.
Dear neighbors,
On Tuesday, November 4th, we’ll all head to the polls once again to play our part in the democratic process. This year, Pelham voters will be selecting candidates for a host of different offices in Westchester County government, the NYS Supreme Court, the Town of Pelham, and of course, here in the Village of Pelham. I’ll be on the ballot running for reelection as your Mayor, and I’ll be joined by two of my colleagues on the Village Board of Trustees, Deputy Mayor Mike Carpenter and Trustee Don Otondi. We’re excited to welcome new candidate Allison Anderson, as well, who is running for her first term as Trustee. She’ll be running to replace our extraordinary colleague and friend Theresa Mohan, who is departing the Village Board of Trustees to run for Town Supervisor. Even though our Village slate is uncontested this year, it’s important to us that you know the priorities we have for the next term.
Our top priority is protecting Pelham’s homes, businesses, and families by upgrading our storm drainage infrastructure. Severe storms and flash floods are becoming more frequent and more destructive, and we are determined to meet this challenge head on. As you know, the Village’s flood mitigation project is currently in the engineering phase, and we are pushing our engineers to complete the project’s construction drawings and prepare the necessary bid documents. While they do their work, our grant writing team is continuously submitting grant applications to help offset the cost of this ambitious project. We are intimately aware of the frustration so many of Pelham’s families have endured for far too long, and we are committed to getting this done—as quickly and effectively as possible.
This important work builds on the investments we’ve already made in the Village’s other core infrastructure needs: relining 10% of our sanitary sewers to prevent sewage backups during heavy rains, upgrading traffic and pedestrian signals at Wolfs Lane and Sparks Avenue, and soon, we’ll all get to enjoy the new public parking facility being built inside the Pelham House building, which is currently under construction on Fifth Avenue.
Most notably, we successfully completed construction on our new Municipal Center, replacing our old firehouse, police station, and Village Hall. This new landmark building, already being utilized by students, local nonprofits and civic groups, was the product of a public-private partnership that saved our taxpayers over $20 million, and I’m so proud to see other municipalities around Westchester now trying to replicate our approach. These are the kinds of investments that will serve our community for generations to come.
Our second priority is revitalizing our downtown. A thriving downtown is the heart of a strong community. That’s why we’ve been pursuing redevelopment opportunities that reimagine blighted and underutilized properties in our commercial corridor, while preserving the unique character of our Village. The construction is certainly frustrating sometimes—but the heavy equipment and detours will soon give way to a beautiful new corridor built for people, with walkable streets, more parking for shoppers and diners, and inviting public spaces.
Importantly, our work to revitalize our downtown does not end at new construction. We’re also investing in our existing local businesses. As you may have seen recently, we partnered with the Pelham Chamber of Commerce to secure major grant funding from Westchester County to launch a $100,000 matching grant program for Pelham businesses, which delivered grants to 19 local storefronts and restaurants to upgrade their signs and exterior facades. We’re pairing that private investment with another $150,000 in public upgrades—better street lighting, decorative improvements, and we’ll soon be installing new smart meters, giving our downtown a more uniform and polished appearance. We’re excited to see so much investment coming into our commercial corridor, and look forward to continuing this work in the next term.
Finally, in all of our work, we are committed to prioritizing Pelham’s long-term sustainability. If we truly care for Pelham, we must make the thoughtful changes needed to secure its future and allow it to thrive in the 21st century. That means building environmental resilience, practicing financial responsibility, and embracing long-term strategic planning.
We’ve successfully rebuilt the Village’s reserves after years of budget shortfalls caused by our deteriorating infrastructure, earning accolades from our auditors and a AA+ credit rating from S&P Global. In fact, we rebuilt our reserves so quickly, we were able to invest almost a million dollars last year in additional road paving, storm drain repairs and pedestrian safety upgrades.
Environmental sustainability is a critical component of long-term strategic planning. Our new Municipal Center is fully electric, built to LEED Gold standards, and is the most energy-efficient public building ever built in Pelham. It’s a big part of why we’re on track to reduce the Village government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. We’re proud that the Village has been awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars in NYS grant funding through the Climate Smart Communities and Clean Energy programs. With that support, we’re investing in two new electric police vehicles for parking enforcement, two electric off-road utility vehicles for our sanitation crews, and an electric lawn mower that will be put to use in Wolfs Lane Park. We believe these are the kinds of strategic choices that will ensure Pelham’s success long into the future.
We’re grateful for the opportunity you’ve given us to serve this extraordinary community, and we’re energized for the work ahead to move Pelham forward. Even though we’re not contested, please vote for us on November 4th. We’re knocking on doors throughout the Village, and if we don’t get a chance to see you at your doorstep, I hope you’ll reach out so we can touch base over coffee. Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your enduring belief in Pelham.
With gratitude,
Chance Mullen
Mayor, Village of Pelham
(alongside Mike Carpenter, Don Otondi, and Allison Anderson)
